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On any given day, you likely cannot watch the television, listen to the radio or log onto the Internet and World Wide Web without encountering some sort of discussion about alternative fuels. In order for you to fully understand the debate and the progress that is (and in some instances is not) being made in regard to alternative fuels, it is important for you to have some basic facts and information in regard to alternative fuels and energy development.
First of all, you may be wondering how many alternative fuels vehicles are being manufactured for consumer use in the United States currently.
The last year that the most complete set of statistics are available is 2005. In that year, nearly 900,000 vehicles designed to utilize alternative fuels were manufactured.
What you really need to understand is that the number of these types of vehicles are expected to be manufactured in far greater numbers over the course the coming five years.
The manufacture of vehicles designed to utilize alternative fuels is expected to spike upward sharply in the immediate future.
Second, understanding the volume of motor vehicles that are being manufactured annually and that are designed to utilize alternative fuels, you may then be wondering what sort of impact alternative fuels are having overall on energy consumption.
Alternative fuels are expected to continue to play an increasingly larger role when it comes to energy in the United States and around the world in coming years.
Turning to 2006, approximately 7 percent of overall energy consumption in the United States came from alternative fuel sources. In considering electrical energy alone, 9.5 percent of all electricity generated in the United States in 2006 came from alternative fuels.
The United States government actually has been proactive in adopting the use of motor vehicles in its fleets that utilize alternative fuels. (This can come as a surprise to many people who assume that the federal government has been a bit sluggish in addressing alternative fuels and related issues.)
At the present time, the federal government is utilizing approximately 95,000 vehicles that rely upon alternative fuels. Indeed, the federal government has specific goals of increasing the number of these types of vehicles in its fleets over the course of the next few years.
Many municipalities are also turning to using vehicles that rely on alternative fuels. For example, some cities have now mandated that all taxicabs utilize alternative fuels by a date certain. In addition, many cities are moving towards adding more hybrid vehicles to their bus fleets.
Scientific research continues to underscore the fact that these various alternative fuels are proving helpful in protecting the environment. Alternative fuels have been demonstrated to be key elements in the overall fight to lower greenhouse gas emissions and to combat what many believe is a very serious global warming trend.
Finally, the use of alternative fuels is also vital when it comes to lessening the dependence of countries like the United States on petroleum.
Oil continues to be provided to a large scale from different parts of the world that are less than stable politically, economically and militarily.